Water Quality and the Gut Microbiome

...Some municipalities add fluoride (in the form of silicofluorides, by-products of manufacturing phosphate fertilizers) to tap water with the rationale of reducing tooth decay. Certainly, fluoride is beneficial when it makes prolonged contact with tooth surfaces, such as when we brush our teeth with fluoridated toothpaste. However, systemic fluoride (such as drinking fluoridated water) doesn’t not appear to exert much benefit to oral health. There have been large epidemiological studies demonstrating that fluoridation is not associated increased risk of cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, thyroid disease, Alzheimer’s disease, birth defects, or Down’s syndrome. But some studies have uncovered correlations between local water fluoride levels and lower IQ in children, leading to fears that fluoride, which can penetrate the blood-brain barrier in fetuses, negatively impacts early brain development. Fluoride also seems to accumulate in the pineal gland (the gland in our brain that secretes the sleep hormone melatonin) as we age, although the ramifications of this are unknown. Overall, more research is needed to clarify the risks and benefits of water fluoridation for both children and adults. And, its potential impact on the gut microbiome may provide a compelling reason to avoid fluoridated water........